Does it Matter What I Believe?
Some years back, a terrible tragedy struck. A batch of pain relievers was purposely contaminated with poison, and a number of unsuspecting victims died when they took the pain relievers. They had believed that the medicine they were taking would relieve their pain, but it caused their death. How tragic!
The same can be said of the unfortunate victims of the Titanic. They believed the ship could not sink, and so great was their confidence in this magnificent ship, that even when the warning sounded, they were unwilling to enter the lifeboats.
In both of these instances, faith was exercised by those involved. It was not a lack of faith that resulted in their deaths, but rather a misplaced faith. Yet some seem to think today that it doesn’t matter what you believe. Some people say, “I don't believe in God.” But that doesn’t mean that God ceases to exist. Either there is a God or there isn’t. Some people say, “I don’t believe in hell.” But that doesn’t mean that hell ceases to exist. Either there is a hell or there isn’t. Some people say, “I don’t believe the Bible.” Here it is not a question of whether or not the Bible exists (we know it does), but whether or not the Bible is true and trustworthy. The Bible teaches that there is a God and that the fool has said in his heart there is no God. The Bible teaches that there is a hell and that those who reject God’s offer of salvation will suffer eternally in hell.
The Apostle Paul says that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy
3:16) and the apostle Peter tells us that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Proof of the divine authorship of the Bible is
to be found in the remarkable fulfilment of prophecy. In the Old Testament book of
Isaiah, God challenges the false gods of Isaiah’s day by saying, “Declare to us things
to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are
gods” (Isaiah 41:22-
More than 300 prophecies concerning the person of the Lord Jesus were fulfilled during His birth, life, death, burial and resurrection. The probability that these would be fulfilled by chance are astronomical. The prophet Isaiah wrote approximately 700 years before the time of Christ, and predicted, among other things, Christ’s Virgin birth and His death by crucifixion. Prior to 1947, the oldest manuscript of Isaiah was dated as c. 980 AD and many assumed that these prophecies were written after the fact. But in 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls, which have been scientifically dated at least 150 years before the time of Christ, were discovered in Qumran. These included a complete copy of the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah, and confirm the amazing accuracy of the Bible in predicting specific events hundreds of years before they occurred.
What is your faith in? Your beliefs will not change the truth, so you must make sure
that your beliefs are true. Is your faith in the unchanging message of the Holy Scriptures
as it was written by the apostles and prophets, or in your own opinions? If we reject
the objective truth of a written revelation, we are left to drift in an endless sea
of our own subjective ideas. Many people today determine truth on the basis of preference,
what they like and don’t like, or on personal experiences. But the Lord Jesus said
that whoever hears His words and does them is like a man who built his house on a
solid foundation, while whoever hears His words and doesn’t do them, is like a man
who builds his house on a foundation of sand which will not stand up to the storms
of life (Matthew 7:24-
The Bible teaches that there is a God who will one day judge every person. The Bible
teaches that there is a heaven and a hell, and that we determine our eternal destiny
by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. “For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest
any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-
Does it matter what I believe? Absolutely. So make sure your beliefs are true.
DNW